Torpedo-launching apparatus.



PATENTBD OCT. 10, 19.05.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THE FIRM OF IVHITEHEAD CO.

TORPEDO-LAUNC Specification of Letters Patent.

, OF FIUME, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

HlNG APPARATUS.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application led December 14, 1904. Serial No. 236,819.

To rrl/ wiz/mt it 'nm/y concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT EDWARD JONES, managing director of thetorpedo works of IYhitehead & Co., of Fiume, Empire of Austria-Hungary,a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Fiume,Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Broadside Under-Tater T orpedo-Launching Apparatus; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same.

AHy invention relates to broadside underwater torpedo-launchingapparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus of that class inwhich a supporting' shield or bar is pushed out from the ships side,together with the torpedo, such shield or bar supporting thc torpedowhile it is being pushed out from the ships side against the fore-to-aftwater-pressure due to the movement of the ship.

According to my invention the torpedo is while it is being pushed outrigidly connected to a part operated by but movable relativelyv to theshield or bar, the latter being actuated in any suitable mannerwsay byfluid-pressure-so that when the shield is moved outward or inward thesaid part is moved in the same direction, but at a greater speed. I soarrange the mechanical connection between the said part, (carrying withit the torpedo, the shield or bar, and the fixed casing or guides inwhich said shield or bar runs,) that for every position of the shield orbar in its casing or guides the torpedo is positively caused to occcupyacorresponding definite position in relation to the shield or bar. Inthis way I insure that when the shield or bar has been pushed out fromthe ship so as to be in proper position for slipping' the torpedo thetorpedo is also in the proper position relatively to the shield or barfor being slipped.

One way in which this invention may be carried out is indicated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional plan ofapparatus in the position ready for launching. Fig. 2 is a sectionalplan of the apparatus at the moment of slipping' the torpedo, and Fig. 3is a detail on a larger scale.

A suitable projection a on the torpedo and the rudder-fra1ne engagesfore and aft between l lugs 7) c on a part, preferably constructed, asshown in the drawings, as a rack d, which is capable of longitudinalmotion in the shield or bar e. A pinion f, journaled in the shield,meshes with the rack (l and with a rack g, which is parallel to rack iland fixed to the stationary guides or casing i of the shield or bar, thesaid guides or casing being rigidly attached to the ship.

The apparatus shown is of the type having doors on that side of theshield nearest to the stern of the ship, and these doors are indicatedby /t /t /t and are shown shut and locked in Fig. l and open in Fig. 2.These doors are substantially the same as those described in the UnitedStates patents to John lVhitehead, Nos. 608,8lst and 697,906, and arecontrolled in the same way as described in those patents.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The shield or bar e ispushed out of its casing by air-pressure or other suitable means,carrying with it pinionf, which by rolling along the liXed rack f/causes the rack d to advance relatively to the shield or bar, this rackby means of the lugs and c and projection (t forcing the torpedo forwardin the shield. The proportions of pinion f, which is not necessarily asimple pinion, but may consist of two pinions of different diameterrigidly connected and turning on the same axis and engaging the racks Zand g, respectively, and the proportions of the other parts of theapparatus are so chosen that when the shield or bar has come intoslipping positioninthe example shown when the doors L of the shield eare clear of the ships side-the torpedo is in proper position forslipping through the doors /L, now unlocked and open, the torpedo being'released from the lugs 7) c by the fore-to-aft water-pressure. In orderto enable the torpedo to be slipped when launched from a standing orslowly-moving ship, in which case it would not be disengaged from theiug's by the water-pressure, I so arrange the lug I; that it isdisengaged from the projection a on the torpedo automatically when thelatter has reached the slipping position, allowing the torpedo to runover it. This may be done by constructing the lug b in the form of alever fulcrumed to the part d, engaging with one o f its ends theprojection a, on the torpedo and sliding with its other end along aguide-rail on the shield or bar t, so that it is held in engagement withIOO the projection c on the torpedo. The said guide-rail is soproportioned that when the torpedo and the shield have reached theslipping position shown in Fig. 2 the lever comes out of engagement withthe guide-rail h, so that it can be turned over by the projection a,owing to the momentum of the torpedo, thus permitting the latter to runover it, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

By the arrangement above described the advantage is obtained that theshield or bar e and the torpedo are positivelycaused to come exactlysimultaneously into the position for slipping the torpedo, whereby anydeflection to the latter from the fore-to-aft pressure of the water isavoided, besides the time re`quired for bringing the torpedo intoslipping position-that is to say, for launching the same-is notablydiminished.

I claiml. In a broadside under-water torpedolaunching apparatus thecombination of a casing in the ships body, a shield adapted to slidelongitudinally in such casing, a part adapted to move longitudinallyrelatively to such shield, means operated by the shield for moving suchpart and means carried by such part and adapted to hold a torpedo inengagement with the said part, substantially as described.

2. In a broadside under-water torpedolaunching apparatus, thecombination of a casing in the ships body, a shield adapted to slidelongitudinally in such casing, a part adapted to move longitudinallyrelatively to such shield` means carried by such part and adapted tohold atorpedo in engagement with such part, a rack on the casing, a rackon the said part parallel to the former rack, a pinion or pinionsjournaled in the shield between the said racks and meshing with thelatter and means for moving the shield longitudinally substantially asdescribed.

3. In a broadside underwater torpedolaunching apparatus the combinationof a casing in the ships body, a shield adapted to slide longitudinallyin such casing, a part adapted to move longitudinally relatively in suchshield, means operated by the shield for moving such part, a projectionon the torpedo, a lug on such part, and means for holding such lug inengagement with the forward end of such projection while the shield ismoving outward, and means for releasing such projection from such lug atthe extreme outward position of the shield, substantially as described.f

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence ol two witnesses.

ALBERT EDWARD JONES.

Witnesses:

' C. HAPENTIN, Jr., C. WEICHTNER.

